Cusumano

Sicily at altitude. Cusumano's Insolia vines grow in the hills near Salemi and Monreale – with a south-easterly aspect, slow ripening and pure mountain air. No fuss, no great effort: the high altitude does the work. Hand-harvested in early September, twelve hours of cold maceration at 8°C, gentle pressing, temperature-controlled fermentation at 18–20°C, four months on the fine lees in stainless steel. Straw-yellow in colour, with notes of hawthorn, citrus zest and a hint of exotic fruit – fresh and delicate, with pleasant acidity and a light, salty-mineral finish. SUPERIORE.DE

A Sicilian Merlot with a Mediterranean soul: the grapes for Marena come from the higher, well-ventilated vineyards inland around Presti e Pegni. Merlot thrives there with warm days and cool nights on calcareous soils with an ideal ripening process. Brilliant ruby red in the glass with a purple hue. The aroma opens with flavours of juicy cherry, plum and a hint of herbal spice. Round, juicy and accessible on the palate with well-integrated tannins, mild freshness and a pleasantly dry finish. The ageing in stainless steel tanks preserves the fruit and varietal character. An uncomplicated, yet harmonious Merlot, whose approachable style makes it ideal for pizza, pasta and relaxed everyday moments – sicilian and full of character. SUPERIORE.DE

100% Syrah from the south coast of Sicily, characterised by the warm climate and the limestone-rich soils around Butera. In the glass, the wine is dark ruby in colour with violet reflections. The bouquet is intense and spicy: black cherry, blackberry, some black pepper and fine roasted flavours. Powerful and juicy on the palate, with soft tannins, a mild, well-supporting acidity and a pleasantly spicy final. A versatile, modern red with a clear structure. SUPERIORE.DE

A Grillo typical of the western half of Sicily; the grapes come from vines growing on calcareous soil at medium altitude near Salemi. In the glass, it is a bright straw-yellow colour with a greenish sheen. On the nose, ripe yellow fruits, a hint of grapefruit, honeydew melon and a touch of a salty sea breeze. On the palate, the 2024 vintage is crisp and juicy, with well-integrated acidity, a delicate natural sweetness, a hint of lime zest and noticeable minerality on the finish. Ageing in stainless steel preserves its freshness and purity of flavour. A characterful, Mediterranean white wine with understated elegance – pairs superbly with antipasti, grilled fish or summer vegetable platters. SUPERIORE.DE

A Nero d'Avola with style and everyday appeal, made from grapes grown in the province of Caltanissetta (near Lago di Disueri), where clay and limestone soils, combined with significant temperature variations between day and night, lend the wine aromatic depth. In the glass, a rich ruby red with a purplish rim. Aromas of ripe cherries, blueberries, dried herbs and a hint of liquorice. On the palate, it is soft and fruit-forward, with gentle tannins, lively freshness and a smooth, easy-drinking quality. Ageing in stainless steel ensures clarity and varietal character. A very typical and cleanly vinified Nero d'Avola with a Mediterranean character – ideal with pasta, braised vegetables or grilled meat. SUPERIORE.DE

A Sicilian duo full of excitement: Angimbé blends Inzolia and Chardonnay to create a white cuvée that combines the island's aromatic character with international elegance. The grapes come from Tenuta Ficuzza at an altitude of around 700 metres – a cooler terroir with loamy-limestone soils that lend freshness and structure. In the glass, it is a pale straw-yellow with golden highlights. On the nose, it offers notes of yellow pear, pineapple, citrus, a hint of honeydew melon and floral notes. On the palate, it is juicy, round and well-balanced, with gentle acidity, delicate fruit sweetness and a harmonious, slightly spicy final. A versatile, approachable white wine that pairs just as effortlessly with Mediterranean cuisine as it does with relaxed evenings on the terrace. Very good value. SUPERIORE.DE

This powerful blend of Nero d'Avola and Syrah comes from Tenuta Presti e Pegni in Monreale and impressively demonstrates the versatility of Sicilian winemaking. The vineyards thrive at an altitude of 250 metres in the hills behind Palermo, where loamy soils and the Mediterranean microclimate create ideal conditions for international grape varieties. Just ten kilometres from the coast, the vines benefit from the cooling sea breeze, which tempers the heat of the day and ensures balanced ripening. The name Benuara is derived from a small flower that grows near Syracuse – a poetic reference to the southernmost regions of Sicily.

The Rosato from the Alta Mora range is made from old Nerello Mascalese vines growing on slopes between 600 and 800 metres above sea level on the northern flanks of Mount Etna. The sparse, volcanic soils, characterised by lava rock and mineral ash, lend the wine a tension typical of its terroir and a delicate, salty depth. The grapes are harvested early and pressed immediately to preserve their freshness and finesse. The wine is aged exclusively in stainless steel.

Diego and Alberto Cusumano had a dream that took many years to realise. The family, the third generation of one of Sicily's most important wine houses, searched for years for the right piece of Etna – and found it in Castiglione di Sicilia in 2013. On the northern slope of the volcano, in districts such as Verzella, Feudo di Mezzo, Guardiola and Solicchiata, at an altitude of 800 metres, in black, mineral-rich lava soils. Alta Mora – high and black – is not just a name. It is a description of the place. 100% Nerello Mascalese, hand-picked in October. Mash fermentation lasts twelve days in steel, followed by six months in large 25 hectolitre oak barrels. An accessible entry into the Alta Mora portfolio – and a clear statement: the Nerello Mascalese at these altitudes needs no staging.

Here is one of the finest expressions of the white Carricante grape variety, aged on its fine lees for six months. Alta Mora Bianco comes from vineyards on the northern slopes of Mount Etna, where Carricante vines thrive at altitudes of 600 to 900 metres – directly on volcanic rock rich in minerals and ash. The cool, high altitude, combined with intense sunshine and significant day-night temperature variations, imbues this wine with an unmistakable freshness, structure and a briny edge. The wine is aged exclusively in stainless steel to ensure that the purity of the grape variety and the terroir is conveyed unadulterated in the glass.

700 to 800 metres above sea level, in the Piana degli Albanesi south of Palermo – where Sicily ceases to be what one might expect. Tenuta Ficuzza lies at the heart of a vast nature reserve, with woodlands, Mediterranean scrub and vineyards woven into the landscape like a mosaic. Here, Chardonnay has found a home that reminds it of Burgundy – without copying it. Jalé is produced from the historic single vineyard "del Ventaglio", named for its fan-shaped layout. The altitude creates temperature fluctuations that Chardonnay rarely experiences on this island: slow ripening, cool fruit, natural tension. Hand-harvested in early August, cold maceration, fermentation in oldLiters – no new wood to overpower the wine, but rather a subtle integration. Six months sur lies, then bottled.

700 is not just a number, but a promise: At an altitude of exactly 700 metres, in the cool Tenuta Ficuzza not far from Palermo, the grapes grow for a Sicilian sparkling wine that tells the story of its terroir in a dazzlingly fine form. The high altitude, calcareous soils and significant day-night fluctuations create ideal conditions for the grapes to ripen perfectly – chardonnay and Pinot Nero – before they are refined in classic bottle fermentation to create an Etna sparkling wine with character. After the first fermentation in stainless steel tanks, the wine matures on the lees for around 36 months. It is disgorged without dosage, which further emphasises its dry elegance and purist style.

The delicious Salealto consists of Insolia, Zibibbo and Grillo and was matured for approx. 10 months on the fine lees in stainless steel. Deep golden yellow in colour with green reflections. Open nose with hints of beeswax, yellow flowers, acacia, red apple and green pepper. Very refreshing on the palate, low acidity, a fine saline note and wonderful fruit flavours. Herbal spice and expansive fruit with beautiful freshness on the deep finish - be sure to aerate. SUPERIORE.DE

Behind Noà is Cusumano's vision of a Sicilian red wine of international calibre, rooted in the barren highlands of Presti e Pegni near Monreale. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Nero d'Avola thrive on calcareous, stony soils at an altitude of around 300 metres – a place where the heat of the day and the coolness of the night allow a precise interplay of ripeness and freshness. In the glass, Noà is a dark ruby colour with violet hues. The bouquet reveals a complex composition of ripe blackcurrants, sour cherries, blackberries and dried plums, underpinned by notes of espresso, cedar wood, tobacco and dark cocoa. Powerful and structured on the palate with velvety tannins, a supple texture and the characteristic depth that comes from the volcanic terroir and the barrique-aged composition. The final is long, with hints of liquorice, herbs and mineral spice.

Sàgana – a resounding name that describes far more than just a wine. It stands for the essence of Cusumano's work in the heart of Sicily, where the Nero d'Avola grape meets the barren expanse of the Monreale hills. The vines grow on calcareous clay soils in the single vineyard Tenuta San Giacomo, whose high-altitude plots are characterised by hot days and cool nights. This microclimate gives the wine density, freshness and remarkable depth. 2020 was a year of balance in Sicily: a warm spring, a dry but not overheated summer and ideal harvest conditions in September. The grapes were harvested when fully ripe, rigorously selected and matured in barriques for around twelve months after temperature-controlled maceration. A further year of bottle ageing completes the structure and gives the wine its polished nobility.

Feudo di Mezzo is one of the most prestigious contrade on the northern slope of Mount Etna, a place where viticulture and volcanic rock have had a symbiotic relationship for centuries. At an altitude of around 600 metres, old Nerello Mascalese vines take root here in porous, ferrous ash, interspersed with lava boulders and basalt veins – a soil that gives the wine finesse, tension and depth. Alta Mora is Cusumano's ambitious project on Etna, and Feudo di Mezzo epitomises this vision: single-varietal, rigorously selected, with maximum focus on origin and character. The 2019 vintage on Mount Etna was characterised by elegance: a cool spring followed by a long, dry summer with cool nights. The grapes ripened slowly and harmoniously, with fine phenolic ripeness and a balanced acidity structure. After manual harvesting, fermentation took place with gentle maceration, followed by 12 months of maturation in French tonneaux and a long period of rest in the bottle.

Guardiola is a name with weight on Etna. One of the highest and steepest cru sites in Sicily, between 800 and 1,000 metres above sea level, exposed to the harsh sun, cool winds and the contrasts of a volcanic climate, which shapes not only the landscape but also the character of the wine. The vines – predominantly Nerello Mascalese – are deeply rooted in lava rock and volcanic ash, the soil is lean, black and mineralised, a barren terroir that combines strength and elegance rather than playing them off against each other. The vintage brought ideal conditions for a wine with a firm but accessible structure: after a cool spring, the grapes ripened under consistently warm summer sunshine, accompanied by pronounced day-night differences. The grapes were harvest late, by hand, in small crates – a decisive moment for precision and balance. After spontaneous fermentation, the wine was matured in French oak barrels – not to dominate the wine, but to give it contour.

Contrada Arrigo is located on the northern slope of Mount Etna at 610 metres above sea level, facing north-east with a view of the sea. Wine has been grown on this ancient soil since time immemorial. It is rich in organic substances and consists mainly of volcanic sand and lava stones from a volcanic eruption in 1180. Significant temperature fluctuations during the day and night lead to a slow ripening process that preserves freshness and minerality.